ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) on Monday expressed concern over the mistreatment of detainees captured in the recent escalations in Sulaimani, calling for preserving human rights standards.

Forces affiliated with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) launched an operation on Thursday night to arrest the head of the People’s Front opposition party and former PUK co-chair Lahur Sheikh Jangi, with a standoff at Jangi’s residence at the Lalezar Hotel escalating into an armed conflict, ultimately leading to the opposition leader’s arrest.

Following the operation, dozens of Jangi’s loyalists were arrested by the PUK forces. Shortly after, footage emerged on social media depicting the PUK-affiliated forces mistreating the detainees, including verbal and physical abuse, as well as humiliating acts against the men in vulnerable positions.

UNAMI denounced the violations against the detainees in a post on X, describing the footage as “disturbing,” and calling for respecting principles of human rights.

“We reiterate our call for the respect of human rights and due process, including for those taken in custody during these events,” read the post

On Friday, UNAMI expressed concern over the clashes in Sulaimani, calling on all parties to “exercise restraint, refrain from any actions that could endanger the lives of civilians, respect human rights, and ensure a fair and impartial judicial process in line with the provisions of the Constitution.”

The PUK-affiliated Kurdistan Region Security Agency (Asayish) said that at least three security force members were killed and 19 others were wounded in the clashes. There are no confirmed reports on the number of casualties from Jangi’s side.

Jangi’s brother, Aras Sheikh Jangi, told The New Region on Saturday that Lahur’s forces, otherwise known as the Scorpion forces, suffered between 12 to 25 casualties as a result of the conflict, with another source close to the People’s Front leader saying that the death toll on Jangi’s side exceeded 20, while other sources suggested that the number might even be higher than 30 casualties.

Families of Jangi’s detained men reached out to The New Region to voice concern regarding the fate of their loved ones, claiming they are unaware of their whereabouts and have no way to reach out to them and make sure they are safe.

Reporting by Hevi Karam